Message from the Chairman

Iam pleased towelcomemembers of theinternational communitygatheringin HongKong for the Annual Forum on South-South Cooperation for Sustainable Development. Thefocus of this year’s themefortheAnnualForum is:ICT, innovation, cultureandsustainable development. Thetimingforthisyear’sForum could nothavebeen moreprescient, in that it comes at a time when the UN System is beginningto turn its collective attention tothe next– and perhaps most important – phaseof development, namely,the launchingof thepost 2015 Development Agenda.

With its focus “…on how to spur innovations in the cultural and urban environment ofthe South, with a view to building partnerships for advancing sustainable development and urbanization within the frameworkof South-South Cooperation, and with a statedgoal of identifyingwaysand means of “…creat[ing]a practical and results-oriented platform for South- South Cooperation and partnerships-building withsupportfrom international organizations for South-South Cooperationand other keystakeholders to promote capacity-building and investments in new and innovativetechnologysolutions withinthe frameworkof South-South Cooperation for job creation and sustainableurbanization in developing countries, thisyear’s Forum seemsgeared towards providingpractical solutions to manyof thequestions that aresure to be front and centerin thedebate that is about to unfold within theUnited Nationson its post 2015Development Agenda.

TheForum’s theme alsoresonates nicelywith at least one ofthe thematicdebates that will be held duringthe upcoming68thsession ofthe UNGeneral Assembly, namely: “Thecontributions of South-South, Triangular Cooperation andICT for Development to the Post-2015 Development Agenda.Heretoo, it is hoped thatthe outcomes ofthe deliberations herein Hong Kongcan inform that thematic debate at theUN–as indeed itshould!

TheForum organizershavemadegreat efforts to incorporatesomeof theoutcomes of the recentlyheldconferencein Rio, namelyRio+20,wherethe international communityhighlighted “the power of ICTand innovativeapplications to promote knowledgeexchange, technical cooperation and capacity-building for sustainabledevelopment,while acknowledgingtheneed for cooperation amongall stakeholders, including business, theprivate sector and civil society, to foster support forexistingandemergingplatforms that promoteICTand innovation for sustainabledevelopment.Itherefore commend them fortheir emphases on practical outcomes and invite them to submit the outcomes of theForum to the upcomingsession ofthe General Assemblyfor its consideration.

Let meconclude byinvitingallparticipants- fromgovernments, business,academia and civil society-to becomefullyengaged in all aspects ofthisyear’s Forum, onethat seeks to find “…the nexus between ICT, innovation, cultureand sustainableurbanization within the frameworkof South-South Cooperation…,so as to enable its outcomes to inform thedebate that is currentlyunderwayinthe international community, in general, and within theUNSystem, in particular, duringthe upcoming68thsession ofthe General Assembly.

H.E. Dr. John W. Ashe

Chairman

South-South SteeringCommitteeforSustainable Development (SS-SCSD)